The Long View Exhibition

“I am blown away. I made the journey from Cornwall. Completely worth it!”

“Amazing words and pictures and trees. Beautiful, Thank you!”

“Incredibly beautiful, insightful and emotional. Moved to tears.”

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June 21 – October 10, 2017: Grizedale Forest, Cumbria

Jan 20 – Mar 4, 2018: Great North Museum, Newcastle

May 5 – May 27, 2018: North Wall Gallery, Oxford

May 30 – June 10, 2018: ONCA, Brighton

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The Long View exhibition opened on midsummer’s day in the beautiful galleries in the heart of Grizedale Forest, which pioneered the installation of sculptures in woodland in 1977, and continues to combine art with the care, use and exploration of forests and woodland.

The exhibition celebrates the beauty and value of trees and the experience of walking through the Lake District, and the benefits of pausing. These trees are like beacons in a wider landscape, and representatives of trees further afield. Through them, the exhibition explores the way trees are valued across the country, what trees do for us, and the special relationship that people have with trees. We’ve also used our journeys to discover more about hill farming in the Lake District, and learn from farmers, who arguably know the land better than anyone else, since they walk through it and observe it every day of the year.

The addition of ‘Life Support’, seven living trees in planters carved with poetry, added another dimension in the galleries of Grizedale Forest.

The exhibition features photographic images, poetry, prose, word art and 3D work to introduce each of the seven trees as well as the environments around them: over 30 photographic images comprising hand-printed black and white images made with a large format camera and full colour digital prints; and 20 written pieces of poetry, word art and prose; as well as seven living trees.

There is a section devoted to the Dark Walks and to the Light Walk. In addition to images and writing, a 180-cm wooden installation crafted from the wood of the seven tree species represents our seven-day walk linking the seven trees. The exhibition also features silkscreen printed word art developed from the seven colour installations .

Through the exhibition, we want to draw visitors into ‘tree time’ and provoke thought and discussion about the way we value our landscapes and relate to the natural world. We also reflect on the value of slowing down and pausing, outside, and what is being lost – or should be carefully guarded – as our culture and way of life become increasingly determined by technology. And, in the spirit of The Long View, the exhibition presents opportunities for visitors to become involved by sharing their own views.